Trust

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Governance

Sant Baba Amar Singh Ji - Honorary lifetime Patron of the Strategic Board (Babaji is the chair of NTIDT Trust but as the founder of the school the directors would like to include this honorary non-voting position as a token of the esteem in which he is held)

Babaji holds the view that the students who are educated throughout the Academy have a responsibility to contribute and enrich the society to which they belong. The ethos of the Academy is taken from the spiritual presence of Babaji and his vision for high excellence in education and the development of good character. Babaji has always reiterated the importance of charity, hard work and respect of other faiths and cultures. These are the values which are enshrined in the ethos of the Academy and have ensured academic success.

Mr Rajinder Singh Sandhu – Executive Principal

Rajinder Sandhu as the Executive Principal will deliver the strategy and oversee the operational aspects of the MAT. As recommended by the National Governors Association he agrees that it is not good practice for the Executive Principal to be a voting member of the Strategic Board since it is inherently flawed for the person who is implementing the strategies set out by the trust to then be part of the Board that holds him to account. He wishes to be an ex-officio member of the Board of Directors.

Mr Martin Baxter BSc, MBA, FRSA – Director / Chair

Martin Baxter brings to the Board professional knowledge and understanding about learning and school leadership gathered over 40 years in education. This has included senior leadership posts in schools and four local authorities, quality assurance as a local and Ofsted inspector, project work for the UK government on curriculum change and its assessment, policy development at school and system levels, and international consultancy to improve learning with three nations at ministerial level. He is currently the chair of governors for a large maintained junior school and a member of a reference group of senior governors for the local authority. He brings to a Board a sound understanding of school improvement, the legal parameters within which schools work, and how the quality of learning can be enhanced through good governance and strategic and system leadership. Beyond his work with schools he is a keen sportsman and retains a keen interest in contemporary ideas and how they can improve the quality of life through the Royal Society of Arts.

Mrs Manjeet Mendhir

Manjeet Mendhir has a dual qualification in law. She is a non-practising solicitor, currently practising as a barrister. Her specialism is within family law. She has been working in the legal field for over 30 years and is held in high regard within the community.

Her position will allow her to represent the views of the wider community. Her particular skill set with a background in law will enable us to be compliant with regulatory and financial frameworks and statutory guidance.

Ms Jenny Chadwick, BSc Hons

Jenny Chadwick has extensive experience in education as a teacher, senior leader, Principal Lecturer and as a local and national OfSTED Inspector. This has included working with a range of primary and secondary schools in different local authorities. She has successfully worked in School Improvement delivering national training to Head Teachers on Performance Management and was an integral part of the Department for Education National Challenge initiative that worked with low performing secondary schools to bring them up to national standards. As the lead manager for Governor Support, she has worked with many governing bodies to resolve difficult situations and make sound Head teacher appointments. Jenny has a clear understanding of the strategic level at which a Board must operate and the importance of data and accountability. She is passionate about education and giving young people the best possible experiences in schools, taking into account stakeholder views of parents, staff and pupils.

Dr. Punamdip Kaur Bhullar has been a Governor at Guru Nanak Sikh Academy since 2010 and as Chair successfully steered Nanaksar Primary through their first OfSTED Inspection. Prior to this role she was appointed as a Post-Doctorate Research Fellow at Brunel University, London, where she conducted her research on Lymphomagenesis. During her time at Brunel University she was also a part-time lecturer in BSc (Hons) Biomedical Sciences and MSc Molecular Medicine and Cancer Research.

Dr. Bhullar has a real passion for excellence in education and is currently training as a Higher Education Associate Fellow as well as gaining Qualified Teacher Status. She has previously worked at GlaxoSmithKline as a quality assurance advisor. Dr. Bhullar brings extensive experience of managing complex projects, quality assurance and most importantly knowledge of education.

Mr Peter Ryerson – Vice Chair

Peter Ryerson brings the experience of Primary school teaching as well as having a strategic view of education gleaned from his years as Labour Spokesperson for education. He went onto become the Chair of the Education Scrutiny Committee. He has over 40 years of experience of governance at both Primary and Secondary level and presently is a Governor at Guru Nanak Sikh Academy with responsibility for Child Protection and Safeguarding. Since leaving the Council he has been a member of Hillingdon Schools Forum that determines the formula to distribute funds to schools. He was also a member of the Hillingdon Children Safeguarding Board that reviewed policy and practice in Safeguarding in schools.

Mrs Gurpreet Kaur Sidhu - Director

Gurpreet Sidhu is an experienced educator, governor and parent to three young children who are being educated at GNSA. Her many years of experience in education as both an educator, governor and parent has allowed her to develop her knowledge of the education system at both primary and secondary level. She has in particular been involved in committee work for Personnel, Health and Safety and understands the importance of accountability at all levels. Gurpreet has strong links to the local community and has been involved in organising many interfaith and community based religious events. She speaks fluent Punjabi and other community languages, a valuable asset when we have school populations that are 100% EAL.

Mr Jaskamal Sidhu B.Com

Jaskamal Sidhu is an experienced, senior educator having been part of the secondary education sector since 2007. He has been a supportive member of GNSA governing body since 2012 with over 90% attendance at meetings, in addition to attending educational training events and conferences to ensure he is up to date with contemporary practice. Jaskamal has sound knowledge of reviewing school policies and procedures, Ofsted inspections and data analysis. He is well respected by staff and would be their representative on the Strategic Board. He is also able to provide a valuable insight into matters of religion and in particular the Sikh faith and ethos.

Mr Arun Thakur

Arun Thakur is well known in the local community due to his previous role as the President of the Shri Ram Mandir (Hindu temple) from 1999 to 2010 and currently holds the post of Treasurer. He is an active member of the community and has promoted interfaith relationships. Arun is also a member of the Southall Faith forum and a director of the Hindu council UK reflecting diversity in our membership. His previous experience as a GNSA governor has allowed him to build his understanding and experience of the education sector and his membership of the Personnel Committee has given him a unique insight into school staffing matters. Arun has a great passion for education, community cohesion and would be honoured to be part of the Strategic Board to move the school towards further excellence.

Mr Ranjit Sandhu (no relation to Mr Sandhu – Executive Principal)

Ranjit sandhu is a well-respected local businessman. He has many years of experience in this field as the proprietor and business manager of a restaurant in Reading, Berkshire. Ranjit is currently working as a flight and ground operations duty officer at Heathrow for Malaysian airlines. During his time in Malaysia he was presented with the honoured medal as a member of the state by HRH Sultan of Malaysia in 2008. In 2012 Ranjit was presented with the honoured medal of DIMP (a title equivalent to Sir in the UK) by the former King of Malaysia. Ranjit is very keen to have the opportunity to work with the Strategic Board and to contribute to educational services by bring in his business skills and acumen and developing links between the school and Heathrow, a major employer in the district.

Ms Rachel Macdonald

Rachel Macdonald is a qualified Secondary teacher but has also taught and managed in the primary, secondary, Further Education and Work-Based Learning sectors. Rachel knows Guru Nanak Sikh Academy well as she was previously Director of the Teaching School. Prior to that she worked as a Development Adviser on national government programmes, and as a School Workforce Development Manager with the London Borough of Hillingdon.

Rachel currently works as a Freelance Education Adviser supporting the Teaching Schools Council SW and a small number of schools and MATs.

Rachel is a qualified coach and MBTI practitioner and has a Masters in Management. She also holds qualifications in Learning and Talent Development and Project Management.

As a result of her skills, qualifications and experience Rachel has a pragmatic and solutions-focused mentality and utilises a coaching approach so that people are, whenever possible, empowered not directed. The aim of this approach is to support long-term change and improvement that results in the best outcomes for leaders, schools and ultimately our children.

Mr Kulwant Mann

Kulwant Mann is an experienced provider for social care, residential care for mental health and dementia patients. As an employer, used to employment law, contracts and conditions of employment he will bring valuable business acumen and personnel experience to our Strategic Board. He has 25 years of experience as a proprietor of an hotel and understands compliance. He owns three successful businesses and is very respected and active in the community for charity purposes. His financial business experience as well as management skills will be an asset to our Strategic Board.

Mr Amarpal Singh Gakhal

Amarpal Singh Gakhal graduated from Aston University with a BSc. in Computer Science and Management followed by a Masters Degree in Computer Science from the University of Wolverhampton. He has extensive (approximately 18 years) experience in the IT industry having undertaken a variety of roles. He currently works in a senior position for the Lloyds Banking Group and also provides consultancy to the Association of Project Management. He will contribute his successful business and management skills to strengthen our Strategic Board.
Amarpal upholds the ethos of our schools with the concept of giving service in the community by his involvement in Sewa (voluntary service) at a local Sikh Gudwara. Current responsibilities include wedding registrations, kirtan and membership of the management committee which looks after the day to day running of the Gurdwara. He also manages the Punjabi language and Kirtan schools within the Gurdwara with the Head Teacher and 10 staff reporting directly to him.

Mr Parvez Abraham Afzal

Parvez Afzal is an orthopaedic surgeon, specialising in arthroscopy, an MTI Fellow for Trauma and Orthopaedics at Kings College Hospital London. He has presented numerous medical papers and attended courses and conferences to keep up to date in his specialist field. He subscribes to the value of education and training to gain excellence and will bring this view to his work as a Director. He is a member of the Christian Association of India and will bring another faith dimension to our team. As a medical practitioner and competitive badminton player he is keen to promote healthy living and life styles for the school community and reduce the high incidence of obesity in our students.